Sunday after Sunday, on the way to church, we saw the girl with the
longest hair in the parish, wearing a red dress.
It was a straight-cut, sleeveless dress perfectly tailored to the girl’s
teenaged figure and made from fine expensive fabric. The colour was a classy
hibiscus-red.
Spotting the ‘Girl in Red’ on our way or in the left wing of the church
if we were late, became a sort of a game with us.
If the girl was my friend, I would have asked her why she always wore
the same dress every Sunday. She certainly did not look poor.
Now, on reminiscing about those days, I feel that she had set some big
minimalist goals for girls like me who were younger than her.
Recently, at the Emmy awards, news reports highlighted another girl in
red. She was resplendent in her origami- inspired dress which she had worn again.
As a celebrity, she made a strong statement –
“I think in this day and age, we must stop sending the message to young women and girls that we all have these endless closets of clothes we never wear more than once, especially on a red carpet. The hours that it takes, the artisan’s labour, the gorgeous fabrics – all deserve to be worn again and treasured.”
True.
When celebrities, royalty, and role models sent such messages of
recycling, it does create a trend of sorts.
At urban schools and colleges, I have noticed a minimalist taste
developing among boys and girls. It reflects a heartening sign that the message
of environmental sustainability is reaching future generations who will be the
custodians of our planet soon.
